101 Places Not to See Before You Die

This is a delightfully short read that I found to be the perfect mix of humorous, inspiring, and informative. First of all, this book is remarkably silly. Over-the-top exuberantly silly. The brilliant humor of both the real and the absurd shine throughout this entire book. I don't think I've read any other informative non-fiction book that I've found so funny. I was smiling nearly the whole way through, and even when I found myself disgusted or horrified, Catherine and the guest authors still found ways to make me laugh. Second, this book gives the reader permission to live slowly. It feels like the intention of this book is to allow the reader space to stop being motivated, and to rest. To me, the most meaningful message of this book was; 'You don't have to do everything, you don't even have to do anything. In fact, sometimes it is better to aim to never do something than it is to take the initiative and do something.' This book is the anti-travel travel book, that lets a person prioritize themself. This book seems to say, 'Only the things you want to be doing, are what you should be doing.' And in a world, I constantly find to be telling me that I'm not doing enough, I found this book refreshing and optimistic. In these pages, I even found some places that I decidedly do want to travel to. And even more that I most certainly do not and that lack of ambition is a gift in itself.